The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ (DCRA) Small Business Resource Center (SBRC) announced today that Saied Azali has been added as the keynote speaker at its upcoming Entrée DC event. Azali owns Perrys Restaurant and Mintwood Place, which Washingtonian magazine ranked among the top 25 restaurants in the Washington area in 2014.

“Small businesses add a lot to the character and vitality of DC neighborhoods,” said Azali. “As a city, we need to be doing everything possible to encourage and support them. I am thrilled to be participating in an event like Entrée DC that does just that: encourage and support small businesses.”

Azali will join a group of speakers that also includes new business owner, Donnie Simpson, Jr. In April, Simpson opened Uprising Muffin Company, a bakery café specializing in muffins, due in part to assistance from SBRC. The diverse group, including new and veteran business owners, will offer perspectives that will be helpful to food service businesses at every stage of the development process.

“I can’t overstate how appreciative I am that business owners are volunteering their time to help support other businesses in the District,” said Interim DCRA Director Rabbiah Sabbakhan. “With support from partners, SBRC has put together an event that will be tremendously valuable to anyone who attends.”

This year’s Entrée DC Food and Drink forum, which is free, will be held on August 25, 2014 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It will include breakout sessions designed to offer support to a broad array of stakeholders in the catering, vending, delicatessen, bakery, and restaurant industries. District government subject-matter experts will be on hand to provide overviews of the regulatory process and answer any question attendees may have regarding areas such as business licensure, zoning, sidewalk cafes, and alcohol and beverage permitting.

To host and organize the event, SBRC is collaborating with the Washington DC Economic Partnership, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, non-profit organizations, private-sector companies, and District government agencies. The event will use the Money Smart Small Business Program, which the DCRA SBRC has worked with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to promote. The overall goal for the event is to provide business education services to current and prospective entrepreneurs in a food-related business.